Moving a Tayberry

angelavdavis

Hi, I have a tayberry on my allotment planted by a previous plot holder. It fruited fairly well this year, but is actually in totally the wrong place for my plan - it is slap bang in the centre of the plot, whereas I would like to move it to the edge of the plot where I can then train it over wires.

It is a large plant (I suspect probably 4 years old) but quite compact.

Any tips for moving it, should I wait until later in the year when the plant will be more dormant or could I do it now by pruning it back and moving?

I would appreciate any help as its a good plant that I don't want to lose, but I am desperate to dig over this area of the plot for more growing space.

Thanks in advance

Lotus-eater

I'm not sure about moving the tayberry tbh,it might work and it might not. But you should layer the branches and produce new plants anyway.

Kay_Peel

I've transplanted tayberries and found that it's a bit tricky if the plant is large and mature. I found that they sulked for the first year and I had a miserable crop but after that they were just fine - in fact they are all the better for their move.

The first thing you do is to cut out all the branches that have flowered and fruited this year, leaving the new shoots that are going to flower and fruit next year. Prune the tayberry now and give it a good watering. Leave it for about 7 - 10 days then transplant it to its new home, if you need to dig over your plot now. If you can leave it a bit longer - say, until the middle of October - all the better. Ideally, it should be moved in November - but I prefer to do jobs like this a bit earlier in case my soil is waterlogged and hard to work.

Prepare the new site well - I forked in some leaf mould and compost. It's very important that the 'crown' of the plant isn't buried by soil - it should be level with the surface of the soil or on a slight mound - otherwise the plant will rot. Water it, tie the branches in and leave it alone to do it's thing. Don't be disapppointed by the first year's harvest - it's just a temporary blip.

Good luck!

angelavdavis

Great tips thanks Kay and Lotus! x